1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing system and method. More specifically, the present application is directed to use sensors to identify objects placed on a surface.
2. Description of Related Art
There are currently products which are able to identify that an object has been placed on a surface. For example, a scale within a checkout system of a grocery store can detect that produce has been placed on the surface by determining a weight change. However, unless the user identifies the object by scanning a barcode or entering an identification code, the scale has no means for identifying the object. Likewise, once the item is identified, the checkout system uses the weight of the object along with the weight of other objects scanned by the user in calculating a total weight to ensure that the user is not removing objects from the store without paying for them.
One known identification system is Surface™ from Microsoft Corporation, which is a display in a table-like form that is easy for individuals or small groups to interact with in a way that feels familiar. Surface™ is a multi-touch interactive system that allows one or more users to interact with the display. Surface™ can simultaneously recognize dozens of movements, such as touch and gestures, and may also perform multiple identifications at one time. Surface™ is able make multiple identifications by recognizing objects placed on the table-like display that have identification tags similar to bar codes. When Surface™ identifies an item using the identification tags, the table-like display presents a unique video associated with the object. Another known identification system is the Rosie Coffee Table from Savant Systems™, which performs similar identification of objects using an Apple® computer.
While known identification systems such as Surface™ are capable of identifying objects placed on a surface, these known identification systems require that the objects be identified through the use of an identification tags or bar codes. However in a typical real-world scenario, not all objects used by a user that are placed on a surface of the identification system have identification tags with which the system operates.